| Expert Knob Twiddlers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 24, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 [1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 57:51 | |||
| Label | Rephlex | |||
| Richard D. James chronology | ||||
| ||||
Expert Knob Twiddlers is a 1996 studio album by Mike Paradinas and Richard D. James. It was released in 1996 on Rephlex Records and is the only release credited to the two as Mike & Rich. [4]
On 14 July 2016 Planet Mu announced that a reissued version would be released with seven bonus tracks in September 2016. [5]
Mike Paradinas described the sound of the album as "an updated version of easy listening and funk". [6] James had heard the music Paradinas had made under the name of Jake Slazenger and invited him to create tracks. [1] Paradinas noted James had invited other artists to collaborate with him, including Luke Vibert, Squarepusher and Cylob and was honoured that his collaborative tracks were chosen for the release. [1] Both artists were getting drunk while developing tracks, something that Paradinas stated that neither artist regularly did. [1]
The track "Giant Deflating Football" was written during the 1994 FIFA World Cup. [1] Paradinas noted that the two "were able to quite quickly write a large amount of material. 'Giant Deflating Football' is named because it had some quite weird percussion sounds made by scraping and blowing in a microphone. It sounded like a big wheezing football. We took a bit of acid afterwards to listen to it, and we were coming out with some imagery like 'Beady Eyes,' which is mentioned in one of the tracks." [1]
Expert Knob Twiddlers was released by Rephlex Records on 24 June 1996 on audio cassette, compact disc and vinyl. [8] Paradinas felt the album should have been released as early as 1994, stating that "At that time, that style was something that no one else had done [...] It wasn't like anything anyone heard before really. By the time it did come out, a lot of things came out like Lisa Carbon Trio aka Lisa Carbon aka Lisa Carbon & Friends (band has albums on different listings) and there was a lot of revived interest in easy listening. Neither of us was prepared for it." [6]
On 19 July 2016 the song "Vodka (Mix 2)" was released with the announcement of the album's 2016 reissue. [9]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Clash | 8/10 [11] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [12] |
| The Guardian | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10 [14] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [15] |
The Guardian gave the album three stars, calling it "a lovingly kitsch collaboration" and that the album "might easily have been a loathsomely ironic exercise." stating that the track "Mr. Frosty" made the album "worth owning". [13] The review concluded that "much of the rest is indulgent piffle." [13] AllMusic gave the album four stars, while noting that the mixed styles of James and Paradinas "cancels out the particular attractions of both artists, and the listener is left with a somewhat bland album. Fans of Aphex and μ-Ziq will be excited, but newcomers should go elsewhere before they dig this deep." [10] In retrospective reviews, Pitchfork described it as "just a playful, occasionally inspired time capsule of the 1990s." [14]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mr. Frosty" | 6:51 |
| 2. | "Jelly Fish" | 6:30 |
| 3. | "Eggy Toast" | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Reg" | 5:57 |
| 5. | "Vodka" | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Winner Takes All" | 5:44 |
| 7. | "Giant Deflating Football" | 6:22 |
| 8. | "Upright Kangaroo" | 3:31 |
| 9. | "The Sound of the Beady Eyes" | 7:46 |
| 10. | "Bu Bu Bu Ba" | 6:51 |
Source: [17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mr. Frosty" | 6:53 |
| 2. | "Reg" | 5:56 |
| 3. | "Jelly Fish" | 6:01 |
| 4. | "Eggy Toast" | 4:32 |
| 5. | "Vodka" | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Winner Takes All" | 5:44 |
| 7. | "Upright Kangaroo" | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Giant Deflating Football" | 6:21 |
| 9. | "The Sound of the Beady Eyes" | 7:46 |
| 10. | "Bu Bu Bu Ba" | 6:52 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Vodka" (Mix 2) | 4:22 |
| 12. | "Portamento Gosh" | 2:02 |
| 13. | "Waltz" | 5:24 |
| 14. | "Brivert & Muonds" | 6:17 |
| 15. | "Clissold Bathroom" | 0:54 |
| 16. | "Jelly Fish" (Mix 2) | 5:21 |
| 17. | "Organ Plodder" | 4:15 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Upright Kangaroo" (Mix 2) | 4:33 |
Adapted from the Expert Knob Twiddlers liner notes: [16]
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Intelligent dance music (IDM) is a style of electronic music originating in the early 1990s, defined by idiosyncratic experimentation rather than specific genre constraints. It emerged from the culture and sound palette of electronic styles such as ambient techno, acid house, Detroit techno and breakbeat; it has been regarded as better suited to home listening than dancing. Prominent artists associated with it include Aphex Twin, Autechre, Squarepusher, Boards of Canada, Amon Tobin, Higher Intelligence Agency, Telefon Tel Aviv, μ-Ziq, The Black Dog, The Future Sound of London, Mouse on Mars, Biosphere, Orbital and Luke Vibert.
Rephlex Records was a record label launched in 1991 in Cornwall by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. The label coined the term braindance to describe the output of Aphex Twin and fellow artists.
...I Care Because You Do is a studio album by the electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 24 April 1995 through Warp. Containing material recorded between 1990 and 1994, the album marked James's return to a percussive sound following the largely beatless Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994), and pairs abrasive rhythms with symphonic and ambient elements. The cover artwork is a self-portrait by James.
Richard D. James Album is an eponymous studio album by the electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 4 November 1996 through Warp Records. It was composed by James on his Macintosh computer, and took longer to complete than his previous albums. It features fast breakbeats and intricate drum programming which draw from jungle and drum and bass. James' drum loops are paired with lush string arrangements, intricate time signatures, and ambient melodies reminiscent of his earlier work, as well as modulated vocals from James.
Michael Robert Paradinas, better known by his stage name μ-Ziq, is an English electronic musician from Wimbledon, London. He was associated with the electronic style intelligent dance music (IDM) during the 1990s, and recorded on Rephlex Records and Reflective Records. His critically acclaimed 1997 album, Lunatic Harness, helped define the drill 'n' bass subgenre and was also his most successful release, selling over 100,000 copies. Paradinas founded the record label Planet Mu, begun in 1995, where he has championed genres such as juke, IDM and footwork.
Feed Me Weird Things is the debut studio album by English electronic musician Tom Jenkinson under the alias Squarepusher. It was released on 3 June 1996 through Rephlex Records. It entered the dance albums chart at No. 10 on 15 June.
Tango n' Vectif is the debut studio album by English electronic music producers Mike Paradinas and Francis Naughton under the stage name μ-Ziq. It was released in November 1993 by Rephlex. The cover photo of the original release was taken by Richard D. James.
In Pine Effect is the third studio album by English electronic music producer Mike Paradinas under the stage name μ-Ziq. It was released on 31 October 1995 by Hi-Rise Recordings in the United Kingdom, and later by Astralwerks in the United States.
Lunatic Harness is the fourth studio album by English electronic music producer Mike Paradinas under the stage name μ-Ziq. It was released on 30 June 1997 in the United Kingdom on the Planet Mu label, and on 29 July 1997 in the United States on the Astralwerks label. It was rereleased with bonus tracks from the My Little Beautiful and Brace Yourself singles in 2022 for its 25th anniversary.
Royal Astronomy is the fifth studio album by English electronic music producer Mike Paradinas under the stage name μ-Ziq, released on 26 July 1999 by Hut Records and Astralwerks.
Analord is a series of eleven 12" vinyl records by the electronic music artist Richard D. James, most of which are released under the alias AFX. The series, released in 2005, marked James's return to primarily analogue equipment following his computer-oriented programming work in the late 1990s. After their release, James "distilled" the 3½ hour, 42-track series into the 10-track compilation album Chosen Lords (2006), effectively his first full-length release since the 2001 album Drukqs.
Das Ist Ein Groovy Beat, Ja is an album by Mike Paradinas, released in 1996 under his nickname Jake Slazenger.
The Braindance Coincidence is a 2001 compilation album released by Rephlex Records.
Duntisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devastation Technique is the seventh studio album by British IDM producer μ-Ziq, released on Planet Mu in 2007.
Eurotechno refers to the musical soundtrack by English group Stakker for their 1989 experimental short film of the same name. The original film was an avant-garde experiment and features rapidly shifting colourful computer graphics, reflecting the influence of rave culture. Although the visuals of the film were primarily the work of Stakker members Marek Pytel, Mark McClean and Colin Scott, the musical soundtrack was largely the work of Brian Dougans, later of The Future Sound of London. The 25-minute soundtrack was recorded using a Roland TB-303, and reflects the fast-shifting momentum of the film by incorporating fragmented elements of acid house, Chicago house and Detroit techno that shift after their brief appearances, thus contributing to an intricately layered style.
Richard David James, known professionally as Aphex Twin, is a British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic styles such as techno, ambient, and jungle. Journalists from publications including Mixmag, The New York Times, NME, Fact,Clash and The Guardian have called James one of the most influential and important artists in contemporary electronic music.
Succour is the second studio album by British band Seefeel. It was released on 20 March 1995 on Warp and did not receive a release in the United States.
Melodies from Mars is a collection of unreleased tracks by Richard David James, better known under his pseudonym Aphex Twin. Although James did not admit authorship until 2010, it was known to fans as an unofficial Aphex Twin album because at least two of its tracks are alternate versions of tracks featured on the subsequently released Richard D. James Album (1996). Some tracks also bear resemblance to those on Analogue Bubblebath 5. These tracks are thought to mark the beginning of a new phase in James's career, when he started composing music using computer software rather than on synthesizers and analogue equipment.
Cheetah is an extended play record by the electronic music artist and producer Aphex Twin. It was released on 8 July 2016 on Warp. The name is a reference to Cheetah Marketing, a British manufacturer of microcomputer peripherals and electronic musical instruments in the 1980s.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| EPs | |
| Singles |
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| Compilations | |
| As AFX | |
| As the Tuss | |
| As Polygon Window | |
| As Bradley Strider | |
| As Caustic Window | |
| As GAK | |
| As Mike & Rich | |
| Unreleased | |
| Related articles | |
